“I’m just tired.” I said this to a friend today and it just got me thinking about how many different meanings this sentence has.

Stayed up late watching a film?

I’m just tired.

Annoyed at someone’s bullsh*t?

I’m just tired.

Sitting on your bathroom floor at 2am, crying your eyes out and wondering what you’re actually doing with your life?

I’m just tired.

Now, mental health has often been referred to as the neglected part of our mind that no one really focuses on because you can’t physically see what is going on. It’s not a broken arm or a broken leg. It’s not a lump on your head from falling down the stairs. More often than not, its a smile. A smile that hides a billion feelings.

I’m not going to lie, I’ve had a few bad days recently and it hasn’t been the easiest thing to talk about. I will have my friends and family ask if I’m okay and of course I will say “Yes.” but why should we have to lie?

Why, when you see a friend passing in the street and they ask if you are okay, why is our automatic response, “Yeah, you?”

Why can’t we all be straight up and say “You know what? I’m really not good today.” instead of pasting on a smile to the world? Why can’t we just admit when we are not okay?

Recently, I’ve been trying my absolute hardest to be open with people when I am having a bad day. My girlfriend, my friends and even people who I am not particularly close too have been amazing with letting me open up and telling me that its okay to have a struggle and even have a relapse in your mental health. Its all a part of recovery and there are going to be days where you aren’t 100%. On days like this, it is often useful to find a distraction from your thoughts; Reading an old favorite book, listening to music, drawing a picture, colouring in, walking the dog, anything you can do that gets you doing something instead of sitting in your thoughts.

I think what is most important is to reward yourself for the small steps that you take. Yeah, you might not have been able to do one task, but even if you got dressed today but you didn’t yesterday, that is a step. You did something. You are in control.

My tip for today is to talk to people, even if you are not 100% sure what is going on in your mind or you don’t quite understand your own thoughts. Even if you are disappointed in yourself or paranoid about things say to someone, “Nope, you know what?I’m not okay today.” I know its easier said than done but just to have even one person who knows that you are struggling will make the world of difference.

Don’t be afraid to break the smile every once in a while, it doesn’t mean that you are weak.